Isaacs is a relatively safe Labor seat on the southeastern fringe of Melbourne. Isaacs was a traditional marginal seat, but a redistribution before the 1996 election solidified the ALP’s hold on the seat. The seat was won by Mark Dreyfus in 2007 after sitting MP Ann Corcoran was pushed out in a contested preselection despite winning a majority of votes among local ALP members. The seat was also previously held by Greg Wilton, who is the only member of the House of Representatives to die by suicide, when he died in 2000.